This is what it sounds like (to me).
Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet: “Captain”
Three cheers to Jared and Steven for the tip on this band.
Filed under: Uncategorized
September 11, 2008 • 11:12 pm 0
“A lot can happen in a little…”
If you’re like me, you’ve been jonesin’ for some serious orchestral pop along the lines of Joanna Newsom’s Ys, an album that’s as perfect as it peerless. In the vast gap left in Ms. Newsom’s stead walks Inara George hand in hand with Van Dyke Parks, Newsom’s orchestral arranger for Ys. On the table in front of you they place An Invitation, their collaborative album of percussion-less, orchestral-led brilliance. Let it charm you, lull you, and leave you wanting more.
Filed under: Album Review
September 8, 2008 • 7:25 am 0
“This my excavation and today’s Qumran…”
Often when I’m writing about a band, I find I need to do a little background research on their previous incarnations, or delve deeper into their discography in order to get a better sense of where they are now and where they came from; although most of the time I find the truest things coming out of an intense listening session with little other context other than the sounds coming out of the speakers.
In the case of Bon Iver, my background trolling led me to DeYarmond Edison, Justin Vernon’s earlier band, its breakup being the one that perhaps inspired the creation of For Emma, Forever Ago. DeYarmond Edison’s only album Silent Signs is a surprising gem of a record created by a markedly different group from Bon Iver; its straightforward and direct where Bon Iver swoons and wavers, the vocals are plain and simple not lilting and crackling at the same time. and the words are easy poetry, not near-surrealist obscurities from which you must tease a meaning.
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